This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Applying the Stereo Field Rotate Effect

In the Edit View, all changes you make to a waveform are permanent once you save the file. This is referred to as destructive editing. Non-destructive editing takes place in the Multitrack View, which you will explore in the next lesson. In addition to destructively
editing a clip, changes made to files in the Edit View affect all instances of the file if it is used in the Multitrack View.
If the same file is used many times in a session, one change in the Edit View will update it throughout the entire session.

Click the Files tab to bring the Files panel forward, and then double-click the Tambourine02.cel to display the waveform. This is a mono file. Click the Effects tab and then click on the plus sign (+) next to the Amplitude category. Certain effects are grayed-out and are unavailable because they can only be applied to a stereo waveform. You will convert this file to a stereo file.

Choose Edit > Convert Sample Type The Convert Sample Type window appears. In the Channels section, click on the Stereo radio button. Make sure Left Mix and Right Mix are both at 100%. In the Bit Depth section, set 32 as the bit depth and click OK to apply the conversion.

The tambourine waveform now has a left and a right channel. The Amplitude effects, which were previously unavailable in the
Effects tab, are now available.

Double-click the Stereo Field Rotate (process) effect to open the Stereo Field Rotate window.

From the list of presets, choose Pan Left to Right and click the Preview button. You should hear the tambourine begin on the left side of your speakers/headphones
and pan to the right.

Default presets are often a good place to start when adding effects. You will often want to modify the default characteristics of the effect to meet your particular needs. Before you begin
modifying this effect, note the x-axis and y-axis in the Stereo Field Rotate window. The x-axis represents the entire timeline,
and starts at 0 seconds and ends at 5.3 seconds. The y-axis represents the number of degrees off stereo center for both the
left and right channel.

The Pan Left to Right preset pans in a linear fashion from the left to the right over a period of 5.3 seconds. Halfway through
the selection, the stereo effect is in the center. You will change the pan so that the transition from left to right takes
place at a later point.

Click on the blue line at approximately the 3 second mark. An anchor point appears. Move the anchor point up the graph to the -30 degrees mark in the left channel. You can use the readout field beneath the graph to determine the anchor point’s position in time and stereo space. Drag
the anchor point to the point representing approximately 3.5 seconds and -30 degrees.

The tambourine stays in the left channel for a longer period of time and then quickly shift s to the right channel. When previewing the sound, note where the blue line crosses the 0 axis. This is this point that the effect is at stereo
center.

Note

You can clear one point on a graph by left-clicking the point and dragging up or down off of the graph. If you have many anchor
points on a line, you can clear all points by clicking the Reset button. This is also an excellent place to start when creating your own effects. Do not do this to the current lesson file, however.

Click on the Spline Curves check box. The line changes from two straight lines to a curved line. This creates a smoother transition from stereo left to stereo
right. Click and drag the anchor point to the right, the values should be approximately 4.5 seconds and -30 degrees. Press
Preview to hear the results. Do not apply the effect yet.

Before you apply the effect, click the Add button in the preset section. In the Add Preset window, type Pan Left to Right Smooth and click OK. Your new Stereo Field effect is added to the Presets and can be easily applied to other waveforms. Click OK
again to close the Stereo Field Rotate dialog box and apply the effect.

Your waveform has now been modified to reflect the edits from this lesson. Because you started the stereo effect in the left
channel, the waveform is higher than it is in the right. There is little information in the right channel at the beginning
of the loop, and toward the end of the loop, the waveform increases in the right channel.